Happy Mother's Day Mommy

Happy Mother's Day Mommy. You're the best. - Love Rider

And, Happy Mother's Day to

Mimi

Nonnie,

GiGi and

Aunt Eileen

Lil' Rider is going back to Cali

Ever since vacationing in Santa Barbara and Hermosa Beach, CA this past December - I can't stop thinking about going back to Cali. To make matters worse - The other day I was listening to my mom's iTunes playlist on the kitchen iMac and heard a song by LL Cool J called "Going back to Cali" and now I am totally obsessed with going back to Cali. Below is a video of me rapping to the LL Cool J tune. Enjoy!

EASY RIDER 2: The American Midwest

3 bikers travel the American Midwest and experience its land and people. The movie stars Rider Cooley, Brian Cooley and James Shelton and is produced by Shelton and directed by Cooley + Cooley.

Okay, so maybe there isn't really an Easy Rider 2 BUT my Poppi does have a custom chopper and we rode it sat on it this weekend when Mom, Dad and me traveled to St. Louis for GiGi's 90th birthday party.

Also, rumor has it I was named Rider because Easy Rider is Poppi's favorite movie

Getting My Sesame Street Fix

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, LA, LA, LA

Sesame Street is my favorite TV program. I watch it on Demand every day after getting home from day care. Though I do admit I am a bit burned out from watching the same episodes over and over so Mom and Dad just bought me a Sesame Street DVD called Sesame Street Old School - 1974 - 1979. Can't wait to watch that.

Dad thinks I am a bit too hooked on Sesame Street and took this video to show how transfixed I get when I watch the program

Bath time + a mohawk

Finding Eggs, Racing Cars, Crashing Cymbals and Banging Drums

Just got back from spending Easter weekend at Aunt Eileen and Uncle Alan's house. Had so much fun hanging out with my cousins. Some pics below from the weekend.

Looking for Easter eggs

Uncle Colin showed me how to play Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift

Crashing the cymbals

and banging the drums Aunt Eileen and Uncle Alan bought me

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day + cheers to Saint Patrick himself and to my Great-Grandmother McCabe who was born in Ireland and moved to the States when she was a teenager and passed long before I was born. Also thanks to Uncle Colin and Aunt Kristin for the green shirt I am wearing in this pic. It's a vintage looking Green Bay Packers / Lambeau Field t-shirt that they bought when they were at Brett Favre's last game.

Happy 30-something B-day Uncle Colin

Hey Uncle Colin, Happy 30-something B-day. You're the best, your nephew, Rider

p.s. Here's a pic of us at the Santa Barbara Zoo from this past December.

EXCLUSIVE: Busted Up II: All Stitched Up

It's true, I had another incident and this one took me straight to the ER. I'm not going to say much except that involved a bookcase. It was my first time to the hospital since I was born and last thing I remember was staring at my big right toe which was hooked up to some device taking my vital signs, then the doc putting some funny stuff up my nose and then later the doctor saying something about me laughing in the face of pain. Some paparazzi pics below -- they are low res and taken from camera phone.

Road Trip - Disney World - 2008

Made my first trip to Disney World this past January. Was tons of fun. In addition to me, Mom and Dad going -- Mimi and Poppi, Uncle Colin, Aunt Kristin, Aunt Eileen, Uncle Alan and my cousins Olivia, Nathan, Hamilton, Fletcher and Barrett made the trip too. One of the reasons for going was that Mom, Aunt Eileen and Uncle Alan ran the Disney Half Marathon and Uncle Colin, Aunt Kristin (and some friends of theirs) ran the Disney Marathon. Dad and I watched the races and cheered everyone on. I was so excited for Mom as I know she was training on the weekends leading up to the race. After the races where over we spent all day and night at the parks.  We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios and EPCOT. Lots of walking (and eating) and I was so happy that I got to spend lots of time w/ Mimi and Poppi and my cousins going on all the rides. I'm too small for most of the rides but I did get to go on Pirates of the Caribbean (twice), It's a Small World, Killimanjaro Safari Ride, and Spaceship Earth and more. Some quick pics below.

Me + Hamilton hanging out at Mickey's Toontown

Cinderella's Castle

Me + Fletcher hanging out in Animal Kingdom

On Dad's lap during the Safari ride

Looking for lions on the Safari ride

Me + Mom after the Disney Marathon

Chillin' in the back seat on the road trip home

Christmas - 2007

I didn't even ask for anything -- as I am still trying to figure out how this Christmas thing works --but someone named Santa Claus totally hooked me up with the coolest gifts ever. Some of the gifts I received included a 1948 Limited Edition Indian Motorcycle, a skateboard, a fire truck, some cool clothes, and lots more. Some pics below including me + my new ride.

Hermosa Beach, CA -- December 12 - 16, 2007

After leaving Santa Barbara and traveling along the Pacific Coast Highway we made it to our next destination - Hermosa Beach. Wow -- LOVED Hermosa Beach. We stayed at a super nice hotel called the Beach House which was right on the water + much like our stay in SB - we did lots of walking, shopping, eating, sleeping and traveled through some neighboring towns including Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Hollywood + Beverly Hills area of LA. Some pics while in HB below. Enjoy!

Ocean view from my hotel balcony.

Mommy + me on the beach

Running on the beach.

Uncle Colin snapped a pic of me climbing the balcony railing.

Daddy + me.

Longboarding in Santa Barbara

Dad and Uncle Colin bought skateboards (Loaded longboards) in Santa Barbara and let me test one out.

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